Electrified coral reef off Florida gets federal OK

[Staff]

Electrified coral reef off Florida gets federal OK
The Global Coral Reef Alliance plans a conservation project near Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Similar projects have created marine habitat elsewhere, but their long-term benefits are unclear.
By David Fleshler
June 28, 2009

Electrified coral reef off Florida gets federal OK - Los Angeles Times
excerpt from above:

Reporting from Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Fla. -- A proposal to install an electrified artificial reef on the ocean floor off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has won approval from a key federal agency, making it more likely that the high-tech conservation project will get built.

The Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to the town to work with Massachusetts-based Global Coral Reef Alliance to install a cluster of metal structures that would use a low-voltage current to stimulate the growth of corals -- creating habitat for fish and other marine creatures. The process has been used to construct artificial reefs in several other countries, including Mexico, Jamaica and Indonesia.